Original articleWeight Stereotypes and Behavioral Intentions toward Thin and Fat Peers among White and Hispanic Adolescents
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were 155 male (56.6%) and 119 female (43.4%) middle school physical education students in a major metropolitan public school district located in the southern United States. Students ranged in age from 11 to 16 years (M = 13.21, SD = .94) and were in grades six (15.8%), seven (44.3%), and eight (39.9%). Over half of the participants identified themselves as Hispanic (n = 157, 57.3%) and 42.7% (n = 115) identified themselves as Caucasian.
Measures
As part of a larger study, participants
Characteristics of sample
Self-reported height (inches) and weight (pounds) were converted to metric units and used to calculate BMI. Male and female participants had average BMIs of 20.91 kg/m2 (SD = 4.24) and 21.95 kg/m2 (SD = 5.23), respectively. Caucasian participants had an average BMI of 20.69 kg/m2 (SD = 4.66) and Hispanic participants 21.96 kg/m2 (SD = 4.92). Most participants (72.5%) had BMI values with a “normal” weight range; 10% were classified as “at-risk,” 7.5% as “overweight,” and 10% as “underweight” (as
Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine stereotypes of fat and thin peers and how those stereotypes relate to intentions to engage in a variety of academic, social and recreational activities with peers. Consistent with previous research [5], [6], [7], the participants in this study endorsed negative stereotypes of targets presented as fat and positive stereotypes of targets presented as thin. Regardless of the participants’ ethnicity or gender, peers presented as fat were stigmatized.
Acknowledgment
The data presented in this article are part of a larger study exploring weight beliefs and physical activity among middle school physical education students. Appreciation is extended to Georgi Roberts and the PE teachers and students for their participation in this project and to Yvonne Liebig and Chelsie Rowell for entering the data.
References (29)
- et al.
Self-perception of weight appropriateness in the United States
Am J Prev Med
(2003) - et al.
Weight-related attitudes and behaviors of black women
J Am Diet Assoc
(1993) - et al.
Thin is good, fat is bad: how early does it begin?
J Appl Dev Psychol
(1998) - et al.
Weight-related words associated with figure silhouettes
Body Image
(2004) Health United States 2004 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans
(2004)- et al.
Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health
Obes Rev
(2004) - et al.
Short- and long-term beneficial effects of a combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity
Pediatrics
(2005) - et al.
Childhood obesity: a societal problem to solve
Obes Rev
(2003) - et al.
Predictors of fat stereotypes among 9-year-old girls and their parents
Obes Res
(2004) - et al.
Fat, friendless and unhealthy: 9-year old children’s perceptions of body shape stereotypes
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord
(1995)
Children’s attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a peer presented as obese: does a medical explanation for the obesity make a difference?
J Pediatr Psychol
Getting worse: the stigmatization of obese children
Obes Res
Social marginalization of overweight children
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
Associations between overweight and obesity with bullying behaviors in school-aged children
Pediatrics
Cited by (56)
Identity and weight-related beliefs among Black, Black/White biracial, East Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, South Asian, and White U.S. Americans
2022, Body ImageCitation Excerpt :For example, research shows that women are more likely than men to identify as fat, and to have more positivity toward fat people (Elran-Barak & Bar-Anan, 2018; Fikkan & Rothblum, 2012; Ratliff & Lofaro, Howell, et al., 2021). Separate research examining differences in fat positivity by racial/ethnic group have found, for example, that White, Biracial, Hispanic/Latino, South Asian, and East Asian people tend to have a comparably strong preference for thinness (Ambwani et al., 2015; Evans & McConnell, 2003; Greenleaf et al., 2006; Himmelstein & Tomiyama, 2015; Ivezaj et al., 2010), but that Black people tend to report less negative attitudes toward fat people compared to other racial and ethnic groups (Ivezaj et al., 2010; Ratliff et al., 2021). Because the previous research in this area is so limited, we have chosen in the current work to examine our research questions about fat identity and the relationship between fat identity and positivity toward fat people, separately-but-simultaneously among people who self-identify as Black, Black/White Biracial, East Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, South Asian, and White U.S. Americans.
Uncovering men's stereotype content (warmth and competence) associated with a representative range of male body size categories
2021, Body ImageCitation Excerpt :Indeed, the stigmatization of individuals based on their body size is not a new phenomenon (e.g., Harris & Smith, 1982). For example, higher weight youth are often considered unhealthy, lazy, and socially inept by their peers, whereas, lean or thin adolescents are characterized as energetic, having many friends, and being happy (Greenleaf, Chambliss, Rhea, Martin, & Morrow, 2006). Evidence also shows that children and adolescents with a BMI above the 95th percentile for age and sex, compared to those with a normal-weight status (categories defined by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2018) are more likely to experience social marginalization (Strauss & Pollack, 2003).
Stigma-based bullying interventions: A systematic review
2018, Developmental ReviewCitation Excerpt :Similarly, among youth, these stigma manifestations motivate stigma-based bullying. As examples, stereotypes about overweight and obese youth (e.g., lazy, socially inept, unhealthy) are associated with lower willingness to engage in social, academic, and recreational activities with overweight and obese youth (Greenleaf, Chambliss, Rhea, Martin, & Morrow, 2006). Prejudice toward sexual minorities is associated with LGBTQ bullying among youth, including use of homophobic epithets (Poteat & DiGiovanni, 2010; Poteat, DiGiovanni, & Scheer, 2013).
Obesity and internalized weight stigma: A formulation model for an emerging psychological problem
2015, Behavioural and Cognitive PsychotherapyInternal and Social Assets, Weight-Based Bullying, Sport, and Activity Among Female Adolescents
2023, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal